Ten of the top College Basketball AP top 25 teams boast familiarity

Photo by Nigel Cook/New-Journal

College basketball is in full swing, and it’s time to dive into the rankings. While the top ten teams are pretty much what everyone expected, the top 25 has seen some new contenders making its mark this season.

Seeing how the landscape shifts as teams battle on the court is always exciting. In the opening week, most of the top ten teams secured wins, but No. 8 Baylor faced a tenacious loss, getting crushed 101-63 by No. 6 Gonzaga. This Saturday, the Bears will have another challenge as it prepares for No. 16 Arkansas. It’ll be interesting to see if Baylor can bounce back and regain its footing against another ranked team.

On a different note, three of the four top 20 ranked Texas teams stumbled in its first games. No. 13 Texas A&M lost a nail-biter to UCF, 64-61, while the Longhorns fell 80-72 to Ohio State. The University of Houston was the only Texas team to come out on top, dominating Jackson State with a 97-40 victory. However, the Cougars will get its first test of the young season when it faces No. 11 Auburn this Saturday.

The top-ranked Jayhawks are eager to turn things around this season after a taxing year where it started strong but ended up at No. 4, ultimately falling to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This season, Kansas has its sights on making a deep run and reaching the Final Four.

Conversely, No. 2 Alabama had a fantastic showing against UNC Asheville, winning decisively with a score of 110-54. The Tide plans to build on last season’s success, where it advanced to the Final Four as a 4th seed but was bounced from the tournament by the eventual champions, UConn.

3. Meanwhile, No. 24 Ole Miss is determined to improve its standings in the SEC after finishing last season with a 20-12 record and a disappointing 7-11 in conference play. Lastly, No. 25 Rutgers started its season with a solid 75-52 victory over Wagner, especially after a bumpy previous year that ended with a 15-17 record and an early exit in the conference tournament against Maryland.

Down below is a listing of the AP Top 25 College Basketball Rankings

1 Kansas

2 Alabama

3 UConn

4 Houston

5 Iowa State

6 Gonzaga

7 Duke

8 Baylor

9 North Carolina

10 Arizona

11 Auburn